Holdback



No. 607,803. v Patented July l9, I898. F. B. LAGRANGE.

HOLDBACK.

(Application filed Sept. 20, 1897.]

(N0 Model.)

ATTORN EYS.

UNITED STATES- ATENT FFICE.

FRANK l3. LAGRANGE, OF HASTINGS CENTRE, NEW YORK.

HOLDBACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,803, dated July 19, 1898. Application filed September 20, 1897. Serial No. 652,228. (No modeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. LAGRANGE, of Hastings Centre, in the county of Oswego, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in I-Ioldbacks, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in holdbacks for vehicle-thills.

My object is to provide such a holdback which will be held positively in position when secured to the holdback-strap upon a harness and when the traces are secured to the thills and at the same time adapted to be automatically released with the forward movement of the horse after the traces have been unhooked, and that will be cheap and durable in its construction and of great utility; and to that end my invention consists of the several new and novel features of construction and operation which are hereinafter described and which are specifically set forth in the claim hereunto annexed. Itis constructed as follows, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the holdback complete as it appears when in operation. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, showing the position of the eye, which is attach ed to the holdback-strap in a vertical position about to release it. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the form shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 5 is a similar section, the strap-eye being removed and showing the engaging arm in a raised position. Fig. 6 is a view of the engaging arm detached.

a is the bracket or base, having lateral ears to, in which the engaging arm bis hinged, and is provided with a shoulder b',having a groove 0 in its forward edge. The said base is also provided with a strap-spring c. The engaging arm I) is also provided with a groove 61 in its lateral edge and is also provided with a rear extending shoulder cl, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

e is a holdback-strap eye having means at one end for securing it to the strap and a cross-bar e at the opposite end,which is adapted to rest within the grooves c and d when in use. This cross-piece e has one of its sides cut away, as shown in Fig. 4, so that when the loop 6 is lying fiat'the device is locked, because the bar 6 fills the grooverin both the abutment and the latch. 7 When, however, this loop is raised into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the bar e only catches in the groove in the latch, and then by pulling upon the loop the latch is turned into the position shown in Fig. 5. a

After the traces have been unhooked and the horse moves forward in the thills it will be observed that the strap-eye 6 will take the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and will draw the engaging arm I) up to a position similar to the position shown in Fig. 5, thereby allowing the eye to disengage itself. It will also be observed that to secure the eye to the holdback-iron I simply turn the eye to a vertical position, place it in the groove d, press the arm 1) down to the position shown in Fig. 4, and allow the eye to take its natural position, the cross-piece e turning quarter-way around, so that it laterally fills the grooves o and d, and thereby is prevented from becoming disengaged.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

The bracket or base provided with a shoulder having a groove formed in its forward edge, combined with a pivoted spring-actuated arm also provided with a groove in its edge, and a loop having a cut-away bar across one of its ends, and which bar fits in the grooves in the shoulder and arm, and locks the arm when the loop is lying flat, but which loop when turned upward allows the arm to turn upon its pivot, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of September, 1897.

FRANK B. LAGRANGE.

In presence of- MARY A. FRANKLIN, HOWARD P. DENISON. 

